Springen
by Mun Pai
Summary: AU. Wrath's POV. Wrath and his family had a normal life in Warsaw, Poland, until the Nazi occupation began. This story follows Wrath's life before and after World War II. Ch 9 is finally up! Sorry for the long delay!
1. Chapter 1

Springen

Prologue: Warsaw, Poland, March, 1939

The weather was unusually hot for the beginning of spring. All the snow had turned to slush and was slowly evaporating off of the streets. I was glad to see that spring had come with such a force; it meant, to me, that summer would be full of good weather that year. It was, as far as I can remember.

In 1939, as a thirteen year old boy, I really had no idea of what could possibly be waiting for us in the years to come. I was growing up in a perfectly normal Jewish family. My father died when I was three years old. Mother said he had something called consumption, but when she told me that, I was too young to understand what it was. Any memories I have of him are blurry and incredibly difficult to recall.

My mother was as strong a woman as there ever was. Her name was Izumi Jarogniew. Without her guidance, our family would have fallen apart. As a child, I did not know or understand the grief she felt for the loss of my father. Of course, I was not the only child in the Jarogniew family. In fact, I was the youngest of three. My sister, the eldest of the siblings, was, according to many, "the most beautiful woman in Warsaw." Her name was Lust and even I thought she was beautiful. While Mother did not have much in the way of feminine grace, Lust made up for her lack. The middle sibling, my brother, Envy, was the only one who seemed to look anything like our father. Despite the fact that he was fairly short, he was a strong, handsome man. Envy ended up getting me into a number of troublesome situations during our childhood. And then there was me, Wrath. At thirteen, it was hard for anyone, including myself, to tell which parent I would end up resembling. Lust had always teased me and said that I would probably look more like Mother. Envy used to say I was probably adopted.

Either way, our little family got along incredibly well. There were times when we would have squabbles, but what family doesn't?

I had a friend, my best friend, who was the same age as me. His name was Alfonse Elric, but most people just called him Al. We had known each other ever since we first entered school. Although his parents did not seem to like me or my family, they would let me come to their home for dinner occasionally. Even though our religions were different, we hardly saw that to be a reason to stop being friends. Unfortunately, Al's brother, Edward, didn't seem to think so. I didn't understand what Edward had against our friendship. The couple of times I asked Al about it, he simply said he did not know either.

The true beginning of my story is the beginning of spring in my thirteenth year. Envy and I were going to the library that had been built next to the Great Synagogue at Tlomackie Square. Usually, I didn't go to the library with Envy. He was about to graduate high school, so he went there often to get books for school projects. We traipsed down the sidewalk, toward the library. For some reason, Envy was unusually silent. I kept glancing at him, as if I could read his thoughts just by looking at him. I was glad that we were almost exactly the same height, even though he was five years older than me. It made things slightly easier on me.

"Envy, why are you going to the library today?" I asked, trying to start some kind of conversation. I hated this thick silence that had formed between us. Normally, Envy talked so much it was hard to get him to stay quiet.

My brother gave me a sideways look before returning his attention to what was ahead of him. "Because I told a girl I'd meet her there," he said matter-of-factly, "You're going to stay at the library until I come get you later." Even I knew who the girl was; Winry Rockbell. She was at the same school as Envy, but I think she was in a lower year. The way I knew her name was obvious; Envy constantly talked about her at home. If something or someone reminded him of Winry, he would say so. Lust and I thought it was annoying, but Mother seemed to think it was funny.

I wondered what she really thought of Envy, but if she had agreed to meet him, then she could not possibly have any bad feelings toward him. "Oh," was all I said to that. The library was a very dull place to me; it was stuffed full with a bunch of books that I would never want to read. If I could avoid going there, I would, but that day, Mother and Lust had gone out. I was not allowed to stay at home alone, so I had to go with my brother. Envy did not seem to like the situation either.

On the steps that led to the doors of the library was a young woman I could only assume was Winry. She had an impatient look on her pretty face. I couldn't help but compare her to my sister. Lust was much more beautiful than her, even though Winry had blonde hair, which was considered "perfect" during that time. Really, I had no idea what Envy saw in her. But, then again, I was only thirteen. What did _I _know about love?

"You're late," Winry announced. Her air of superiority was a little irritating. She seemed to be looking down the end of her nose at Envy and I.

Envy nodded quickly as he walked up the steps to her. She was a few inches taller than him. "I know, I had to bring my kid-brother along," he said, taking a second to glare back at me. I followed him up the steps.

Winry gave me a disdainful look before turning her attention back to my brother. "He's not going to come with us, is he?" she asked, her voice a whine. She reminded me of a girl in my class who would complain until she had her way with just about everything.

"Nah, he's going to stay here until I come to get him…Aren't you, Wrath?" Envy replied. His last few words were said with a slight intensity. At home, he was barely ever like this. I wondered if this was how he was with all girls. I didn't see how they could like someone who was so obnoxious to his own brother…But girls were a species I had yet to even comprehend.

This made a big smile spread across Winry's face. "Good!" she exclaimed, "Because little kids aren't allowed where we're going." I was about to argue that I _wasn't _a little kid, but I knew that if I did, then Envy would just get mad at me.

Before they could say anything more, I tugged at Envy's shirt sleeve to get his attention. "I'll just go in now. No point in staying out here any longer," I stated and went inside without a chance for them to argue.

The library was huge and slightly intimidating. I did not know how long Envy would be gone, so I thought maybe I could find a book to entertain myself with…But the problem was that I had no idea where to start looking. As I walked between the huge shelves, skimming the titles, I heard someone coming toward me. I looked over my shoulder, to see a young woman with mousy brown hair carrying a huge pile of books in her arms.

"Um…Do you need any help?" I asked, approaching her a little hesitantly. I had seen her the few times I had been at the library before. According to Envy, her name was Sciezka. She was a little older than him, but she seemed to also be on his list of women he was attracted to. Lust told me once that Envy was attracted to anything female. I hoped he never came across a female dog…

Sciezka halted. The books at the top of her pile wavered slightly, as if they might fall at any moment. "Yes, please, thanks," she said, exasperated. Slowly, she lowered the pile so I could take half of it in my arms. A few moments ago, the books had been blocking her face from view. But now I saw that she had a fairly normal look to her. The thick glasses she wore did not really help anything either.

I followed her to a slightly empty shelf, where I assumed we would be putting all the books we were carrying. We did just that. Sciezka explained to me that they had to be in a certain order, so once I figured out what it was; it only took a few minutes to get them where they needed to be. After that, she said that she had other things that needed to be taken care of and thanked me for my help. I barely had time to say 'you're welcome' before she ran off to do whatever it was.

It took me a while to find a book that looked even slightly interesting. The title was "Treasure Island." I'd remembered Al talking about it recently, so I wanted to see what it was about. I took the book and sat down at one of the tables near the back of the first floor.

Hours passed. The book was all right, but I had never been a very good reader. It was about six o'clock when a tall, dark haired man approached me. Like Sciezka, he wore glasses, but they were not quite as thick. "Are you Wrath Jarogniew?" he asked me, concern laced into his voice. I had seen him at the Great Synagogue before with his wife and their little daughter. Mother said his name was Maes Hughes.

"Yes, sir," I said, glad to finally have someone to talk to. Something seemed wrong, though. The expression on Mr. Hughes's face gave me the feeling that whatever he had come to say was not going to be good news.

Mr. Hughes glanced over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to face me. "Your brother, Envy," he began slowly, "He's been taken to the hospital." He spoke quickly and softly, as though he did not want anyone to overhear. Of course, he might have been speaking that way simply because we were in a library.

His words made my entire body go numb. Envy was in the hospital? That hardly made any sense to me; he was perfectly healthy the last time I saw him, which was only hours ago. "Wha…What happened?" I asked, trying to stay as calm as I could. Mother had always told me never to panic in bad situations. But to stay calm after hearing news like that was a little difficult.

"Come with me, I'll explain on the way," said Mr. Hughes. Although I did not know him very well, he was a highly respected man in the Jewish community, so I knew he could be trusted. I quickly got up and followed him out of the library. Only after we were well on our way did I remember that I had just left the book on the table. I made up my mind to apologize to Sciezka later, because I figured she would be the one to have to put it away.

It turned out that a group of Socialists attacked Envy and Winry while they were out. Winry was all right, but since Envy was Jewish, they beat him hard. When Mr. Hughes and I arrived, I saw that Mother and Lust were already there. Even Winry had stuck around, which was a surprise. She seemed just as worried as the rest of us.

In the end, Envy turned out all right. He had a broken arm and some pretty bad cuts and bruises, but he was back on his feet in a week.

To the adults, this represented something bad, something terrible. I had no idea what this meant, but I began to realize it would not be the last time a Jew was hurt for no reason at all.

(Author's Note: So…Obviously this is really, really AU. This isn't just their lives beyond the Gate. This is a completely different story. I've had a lot of problems with people not understanding AU in the past so I hope everyone reading this knows what it is. :D Anyway, chapter one should be up soon! Thank you for reading 3)


	2. Warsaw, April, 1940

Springen

Chapter One: Warsaw, Poland, April, 1940

More than a year had passed since the incident involving Envy and the Socialist Party members. During that time, we and the other Jews quickly learned that a great change was taking place in Poland. Schools had begun to segregate children according to their religion. This upset me because it meant that I wouldn't be able to see Al during the school day. Even at Envy's school, the Jews had to be in separate classrooms.

I asked Mother why this was happening, but even she didn't know for sure. Most of the time, if she didn't know what was going on, then no one did. She was extremely involved with our community. Naturally, that meant Lust, Envy, and I were as well. Of course, I had little to offer, since at that time, I was only fourteen years old. Lust worked with Mother at a tailoring shop. Envy was about to graduate high school. Originally, he had planned on going to University, but the Germans forbade any Jews to go anymore. He said that he did not think it was fair that women, Christian women, were able to attend University, while Jewish men were not. I was not sure if I agreed, mainly because I was not in his situation.

"It's just not right," he snorted as we sat down one night to eat dinner, "Winry's going to have a higher education than me. It's embarrassing." He glared angrily down at the food on his plate as if he would rather pound it into dust than eat it.

Lust never could take Envy's constant complaining, especially now that he _really _had something to complain about. She rolled her eyes and turned her head to get a better look at him. "Just because you don't get one thing you want doesn't mean your life is going to come to an end," she said, "You should be happy you'll be allowed to graduate school at all! The Germans could have just thrown you out." I always thought she was the smartest of the three of us. She held the same kind of sarcastic wisdom Mother did.

Mother just shook her head. Lately, she had taken a silent approach to just about everything. I was worried about her, but I was too afraid to ask her if she was all right. It seemed like she knew something that the rest of us did not.

Envy gritted his teeth and slammed his fist down on the table, making the water in my glass slosh slightly. "Just last year we were allowed to go to University. Why shouldn't we be allowed now?" he argued, glaring daggers at Lust. His eyes held a kind of ferocity I was not used to seeing in him or anyone else. It was true that while Lust and Mother took a calm approach to everything, Envy and I tended to get angry quickly. Mother said we got our short temper from our father.

"The Germans obviously have some kind of reason for their unfair actions," Lust said, her tone neutral, "Until they tell us what it is, we may as well not drive ourselves crazy trying to guess." Our eyes met for a moment. I saw something in my sister's eyes I had not expected. There was anger in them, similar to Envy's, but not quite as strong. Also, however, there was sadness. Whatever was going on was taking a toll on both of my siblings and probably Mother as well.

I was itching to find out the truth behind everything, but I had a feeling the only person who _might _know was Al. His parents were highly involved with the National Socialist Workers' Party, or the Nazis, as they came to be known. As I listened to Envy and Lust's bickering, I made up my mind to find Al tomorrow and talk to him about it. It had been almost a month since I had seen him, so as soon as I made that decision, a nervous pit began to form in my stomach.

The argument was finally settled by Lust when she said that Envy could have just been beaten to death like some of the other Jews in Warsaw had recently. I guess he remembered what had happened a year ago and decidedly closed his mouth.

After listening to the two of them argue, it was easy for me to decide which side to take. Lust's argument, obviously, made the most sense to me. She said that our lives could be a lot worse, so there was no point in complaining about the way things were now. This was probably hard for Envy to swallow, but there was no way he could counter her words.

Envy and I shared a room. I wanted a room of my own, since he was constantly making noise and shuffling around. That night in particular, I was sitting on my bed, looking out the window at the street below. Envy was pacing back and forth with a strangely thoughtful expression etched onto his face. Occasionally, he would say something to me along the lines of "What're you looking at?" But I didn't really see the need to dignify that question with an answer; I wasn't looking at anything in particular. Really, I was thinking about what I would ask Al tomorrow, if I saw him.

When Envy finally got fed up and snarled, "I asked you a question!" I didn't have time to reply. A group of Nazi soldiers were marching down the darkened street. They were barely visible until the moonlight hit them. Just seeing them sent chills down my spine; the way they all marched in unison and held their guns the exact same way was oddly frightening.

Silently, Envy climbed onto my bed and peeked out the window, his thin body close to mine. "Oh…Whoa…" he gasped, "I didn't know there were soldiers here…." I knew that if I said anything in agreement, I would have sounded just as surprised and scared. It was one of the few times I had ever seen my brother this way. Somehow, it was a relief to see that I wasn't the only one who didn't completely understand what was happening.

"Envy…Why do you think they're here?" I asked finally, breaking the silence that had formed between us. Outside, the soldiers were turning a corner in a very regimented fashion. In the back of my mind, I remembered that was the same way we went to get to Tlomackie Square. What could they possibly want to do there? But then again, maybe that was not their destination.

"I don't know…" Envy said quietly, "But whatever the reason, I bet it's not a good one for us." He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to himself. At first, I didn't know what to do, but then I just gave up on trying to think and leaned against him. Both of us were scared. Both of us needed someone else to hold on to.

That night, I had a dream where I was running down a dirt street. On either side of the street were pine trees that were so tall, I couldn't even begin to see where they ended. Behind me was an enormous, black automobile, sputtering smoke and steam as it drove slowly, yet menacingly, after me. Every time I looked over my shoulder at it, it seemed to be closer to me, although it was not picking up speed. When I reached the end of the road, I had no where left to run because there was a huge boulder in the way. Before the car could hit me, though, I snapped awake.

Envy had obviously already gotten up and gone downstairs; the room was unusually quiet. I sat up and glanced at Envy's empty bed before turning my attention to the window. There were no soldiers that time, but no one else was out on the street either. It was a little eerie…I began thinking that the soldiers might have taken people away…But there would be no reason for that.

I got out of bed and pulled on some clothes after changing out of my pajamas. Even the house was practically silent. Slowly, I opened the door and walked down the stairs. My heart was thudding loudly in my chest, which made my ears throb. In my mind, a scenario was quickly taking shape…

Maybe the soldiers had taken the rest of my family away, along with everyone else. Maybe they hadn't seen me for whatever reason.

As soon as I reached the foot of the stairs, that scenario quickly disappeared. Lust was sitting in the kitchen, reading the newspaper, but Mother and Envy were nowhere to be found. I went into the kitchen and sat down in my chair, across from her.

"Where are Envy and Mother?" I asked, kicking my legs back and forth underneath my chair. I could tell that Lust had noticed me; she was trying to pretend like she hadn't, but the look on her face said otherwise. Normally, she was not like this. Something bad had probably happened.

Lust put down the newspaper and fixed me with a long, sorrowful stare. "Wrath…" she began, "Do you remember Mr. Feury?" Like Mr. Hughes had spoken, the day Envy got hurt; she seemed to think that there were people who were trying to listen in on our conversation. She had a worn, tired look on her face. I was not used to seeing her this way.

I frowned. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I was having trouble matching it with a face. "Um…" But then I remembered. Mr. Feury was the owner of a Jewish bookstore not far from the shop that Mother and Lust worked at. People used to say it was obvious that he was in love with my sister, like almost everyone else…But he was too shy to do anything about it. "Yes, I remember him. Why?"

For a moment, Lust did not reply. She just stared at me. I couldn't help but notice that her bottom lip was shaking. "He's…" she paused and bit her lip, tearing her eyes away from me, "He's been murdered." Her words were barely above a whisper, but I had no trouble understanding what she said.

My vocal chords were stuck. I could not think of anything to say. Mr. Feury had never done anything to anyone. I lowered my gaze to the grain of the table, unable to focus on anything. I couldn't bring myself to look at Lust; she was crying as silently as she could. Although she did not say who had done it, I had a feeling that it was one or all of the soldiers I had seen last night in the street. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. If I had told Mother, maybe Mr. Feury would not have been murdered.

It was then that I realized Lust had not answered my original question. Hesitantly, I glanced up at her. Unlike the girls I knew, whose faces turned red and splotchy when they cried, Lust was still just as beautiful as she ever was. "Lust…Where are Mother and Envy?" I asked again.

She sighed shakily and ran her pale hand through her thick, dark hair. "They're at the Great Synagogue. A meeting's being held concerning what's happened," she said miserably, "Apparently, Mr. Feury wasn't the only one."

I shrank back in my chair, as if I thought I could just disappear. If I had told Mother that I had seen the soldiers, she could have gotten in contact with their victims before it was too late. But I had been too scared to say anything. This was all my fault. I began wishing that I was strong, like Envy. Then I could have admitted that I had seen the soldiers. Every time I looked at Lust, I thought about telling her, but then my lips froze shut. If I told her, what would she do? There was no doubt in my mind that she would blame me for Mr. Feury and the others' deaths.

For the next few hours, time seemed to pass in slow motion. Luckily, there was no school that day because it was a Saturday. If I had gone, I would not have been able to concentrate at all. My mind was buzzing with too many thoughts. I tried not to think too much, but every time I thought I had put the soldiers out of my mind, they marched right back in.

At about two o'clock, I remembered that I had wanted to see if I could see Al. But there was no way Lust was going to let me out of the house. It appeared that Mother had left strict orders for neither of us to leave. She was probably worried that the same thing that had happened to Mr. Feury would happen to us. It would have to wait, then. Still, I really did want to speak with Al. He was the only one who might have the answers to my questions.

The door opened and before I knew who it was, my chest tightened as I imagined dozens of faceless soldiers pouring into our house. But it was, thankfully, just Mother and Envy. Relief surged over my body. I looked up at them from my position on the floor in the living room. Both of them seemed tired, like Lust had earlier.

"Wrath, go and get your sister," Mother said, "There's something both of you need to hear."

(Author's Notes: So in the next chapter, Wrath will be going to see Al. Now the time sequence won't be skipping around as much…so…yeah. ; Thank you for reading 3)


	3. Warsaw, April, 1940 Part 2

Springen

Chapter Two: Warsaw, Poland, April, 1940

Neither Envy nor Mother appeared to be calm, which was understandable. I knew that the meeting at the Great Synagogue had been about the murders that had taken place the night before. Even though I felt like I was responsible for what happened, I still didn't want to admit to what I had seen. I was afraid that my family would hate me for it.

Without a word, I got up and left the living room. Lust had gone upstairs earlier, saying she was tired and needed a nap. Slowly, I walked up the stairs. Normally, I stopped at the fifth one and bounced up and down to make it squeak even more than it already did, but this time, I saw no need to. Hesitantly, I knocked on the door to Lust's room. I didn't expect an answer. Mr. Feury had always been very kind to her, so the news had probably affected her more than it had anyone else in our family.

To my surprise, the door opened. Lust looked down at me with an unreadable expression. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy from crying. I doubted she had slept at all; she probably just wanted to be alone. "Wrath? What's going on?" she asked, a curious tone in her voice.

It was hard for me to say anything to her. I wanted to be able to help her, but in her eyes, I was nothing but her kid-brother. "Mother and Envy are home," I replied, "They have something they want to tell us." I had a feeling this was going to be a difficult conversation for all four of us, but it was something that had to be said. Whatever it was, was probably the subject of every Jewish family's conversation in Warsaw at that very moment.

Lust and I descended the stairs again and joined Mother and Envy in the kitchen. We sat down and waited for either of them to begin speaking.

But no one said a word. Minutes passed and the four of us simply sat at the table in silence. I looked up at Lust, who was just staring at her hands, which were clasped together tightly in her lap. Envy's expression mirrored Lust's; he seemed lost and hurt…but at the same time, I could see a hint of something else. Whether it was fright or determination, I was not quite sure. Mother, as usual, was unreadable. Ever since Father died, she had put up an emotional wall. It made communication difficult, but at the same time, it had taught me independence at a young age.

Mother cleared her throat and fixed each of us with her hard stare. "Five Jews were murdered last night," she began as calmly as she could, "No one is entirely sure who did it at the moment, but there have been reports that SS Soldiers have been patrolling the streets at night now…" It was a bit of a relief to me that I had not been the only one who had seen them, apparently.

"This means that I want the three of you to be _even more _careful than you already have been," she went on, "Not one of you is to go out alone, even if it is to see Winry, Envy." As she said that, Mother's eyes narrowed. I wondered if she approved of their relationship or not. By that time, it was a rare thing to see a Jew and a Christian together in such a way. Envy and Winry probably had to deal with all sorts of prejudice and chastisement.

She took a few moments to let that all sink in. I could not even begin to imagine why the Nazis were patrolling the streets at night, but ever since 1939, the Germans had been occupying Poland. I didn't know much about the war that had occurred that year. Envy told me that it had only taken the Germans two weeks to defeat our army, which was more than a little alarming. If they could conquer our country so quickly, who knew how many other places were being taken now?

"Also, I don't know if you all have noticed, but it's been made mandatory that all Jews living in rural areas move to major cities," Mother said, the exhaust in her voice finally apparent, "I don't know how many will come here, but in Krakow, there are thousands showing up." I had never been to Krakow, but it was easy to imagine how crowded it was probably becoming there. To think that would be happening here…

Lust raised her gaze to meet Mother's. "Where will they all stay?" she asked, "There's barely enough room in the city for everyone living in it now!" She looked as though she was on the brink of tears again. I knew it was not because of the news that more Jews were coming to Warsaw, though. Lust was never the kind of person to be cruel to others.

Mother shrugged and shook her head slightly. "I'm not sure. The rabbi, Mr. Farman, has said that we should offer rooms to rent, if we have any," she said, "So I've decided that you will move into my room and we will rent out your old bedroom to anyone who needs a place to stay." She was, of course, talking to Lust. I knew my sister would agree. After all, we all probably hoped that if we had been forced to leave Warsaw, there would be another family somewhere who would do the same for us.

"I understand," Lust said with a quick nod. I could not help but feel slightly proud of her for giving up that room, as silly as it sounds. Out of my two siblings, I had always held more respect for her than for Envy, although he did what he could, too. There was something about her compassion that touched me in such a way that I can't even begin to describe now.

Envy seemed to want to be able to do something as well. There was a hint of aggravation on his face. "I don't wanna just sit around and let the Germans take our whole country over," he said, his frustration now completely apparent. "Why isn't anyone fighting them anymore?" Now, this was definitely something I agreed with. The Polish had tried to fight the Germans only a year before. We had not all been killed in the war, so why wasn't anyone doing anything to get them out?

I decided it was time for me to say something, since I had been silent for most of the conversation already. "Can't something be done? There's got to be a way we can make them leave," I said. It was probably useless input, but I wanted to feel like I was doing my part.

A faint smile tugged at Mother's lips. "I wish there was something we could do…But the Polish army has been completely defeated and anyone who's not a Jew doesn't care about the occupation," she replied with a sigh. Any trace of that smile had completely vanished. Maybe she felt the same as Envy and I. It was hard to say. I was usually fairly good at reading people, but Mother was always an enigma to me.

Although Mother's words were enough to get me to be quiet, Envy was not going to let it end so easily. "There's word of a revolt going around," he said heatedly, "I've been thinking about joining up."

The three of us stared at him as though he had just announced he was going to try and assassinate Hitler. Only moments ago, the atmosphere had been somber. Now, however, Envy's words hung in the air, frozen for the minutes until Lust began to cry. That was probably just too much for her to handle.

"Envy…Have you heard nothing I've said? Have you heard nothing Rabbi Farman said today?" Mother asked, her voice wavering. I could tell that she was on the verge of tears, which was a very, very rare thing for her. It was hard for me to see both Mother and my sister so upset so I tried not to show how I felt, even though I was not sure how I actually felt. I respected his wishes to join a revolt and if I had been his age, I probably would have wanted to do so also.

I saw Envy roll his eyes quickly. In the back of my mind, I wondered if he would actually go through with it. "I know, I know..." he said softly, "I'm sorry. This all just makes me so angry." He probably felt more helpless than the rest of us. Maybe that was why he wanted so desperately to join the revolt.

Mother rubbed her temples with one hand, while the other reached out for Envy to take. "Promise me," she said as she took his hand in her's, "Promise me that you won't do anything foolish. Don't go and get yourself killed." This was the first time I had ever seen Mother this way. It was almost like she was taking down that wall she had built up around herself.

"…I promise."

The following Monday, right after school, I decided to see if I could find Al. Ever since the segregation had started, I saw less and less of him. But that day, I seemed to be in luck; he was waiting at the main entrance of the school for someone, probably his older brother, Edward. Along with many other changes in the city, most students in school now waited for their elder siblings or for their parents to walk home with them. The streets were not particularly dangerous for non-Jews, so seeing Al there was a surprise.

Tentatively, I approached Al and gave him a light tap on the shoulder. "Hey…" I began awkwardly, "How've you been?" I felt just about as nervous as I had the night I saw the soldiers marching in the street. I began thinking that Al might have been turned against me by his family.

My thoughts were quickly proven wrong when he turned and offered me a smile. "Wrath! I haven't seen you in months," he said. For a moment, he looked like he was going to say something more, but then he thought better of it. "I've…I've been all right. What about you? I've heard all sorts of terrible things." It was strange to get asked a question like that, especially from Al. We were best friends to be sure…We had just never asked each other "how we were" until we had time to worry about one another.

"As good as I could be," I replied with a short nod, "I've wanted to talk with you for a while now." This was probably my one and only chance to get at least some of my questions answered. Al was the only non-Jew I was on any sort of "good terms" with. I had decided that if he could not tell me what was actually going on, then I would just have to wait until whatever it was happened.

Al gave me a confused look. "What is it? You might want to hurry; my brother is going to be here soon," he said, glancing out at the street in front of us. I got the feeling that if Edward saw us together, Al would be punished by his parents. He was already taking a risk just by being seen speaking with me.

I had not even thought about the consequences of Al being seen with me. "I'm sorry…I just…Do you know what the Germans are planning to do with us?" I asked, "All the Jews from the rural areas have to come to the cities…" I hoped he had some kind of answer, even if it was just a small one. I wanted to be able to tell my family some kind of news, something that would be of help to us and the other people we knew.

Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed. Al shook his head gravely. "I really don't know. Father has dropped hints about some things, but it's not enough to make any sense of," he said softly, "But, Wrath, as soon as I hear something, I'll do my best to find you and tell you. I swear I will."

Right as I was about to say that I appreciated it, his brother shouted at him to come along. I didn't think he noticed me, so I just watched as Al walked down the steps to join him. Edward was about the same age as Envy. From what little I had heard from Envy, Edward was a loud, brash young man who was a member of one of the Nazi youth groups that had started up recently in Poland. I dreaded to think of what would happen if Al joined that group as well.

Luckily, I did not have to wait much longer for Lust. As soon as I saw her coming toward the school, I ran down the steps to join her. I was relieved that it was her and not Envy, otherwise he probably would have spotted Edward and gone after him to try and pick a fight.

We walked silently away from the school. Ever since Saturday, Lust had not said much. I was worried that she might stop speaking entirely so I decided to start up a conversation. "Did you go to work today?" I asked. It was not the most innovative of subjects, but I thought it was enough to take her mind off of the grief she was probably feeling.

Lust glanced down at me and offered me a slightly forced smile. "I did. Your friend's mother, Trisha…Elric, I think, came in," she said, "She was rude. I hope your friend isn't like her." Al's mother had always been kind to me. Naturally, when Lust said that, I had a hard time believing it.

"Maybe you just thought it was her," I said as we turned a corner. It was a road that we usually went down to get home. Although it was not the best neighborhood, it definitely made things quicker. Today, however, there was a group of German soldiers who were working on some kind of construction project.

It took me a moment to realize what it was.

A wall.

(Author's Note: Well, I didn't think I'd have this chapter done so quickly, but once I got started…It just kind of took off. Oo; )


	4. Warsaw, May, 1940

Springen

Chapter Three: Warsaw, Poland, May, 1940

The new wall that was being built in the city was the topic of just about everyone's conversations at school, at the synagogue, and everywhere else I went. It had been a little over a week since Lust and I had first seen it. As soon as we had gotten home, we told Mother and Envy about it. They hadn't believed us at first so we decided to show them what we were talking about.

Envy asked one of the soldiers why it was being built, but the soldier had just spat in his face and told him to get lost. I remember how angry Envy looked. He wanted to fight that soldier, possibly kill him. Something in the back of his mind was probably telling him not to do anything stupid. Maybe he thought of us, his family, or maybe he thought of Winry. What would happen to the people he left behind if he got killed? I used to think that he didn't care about us, but that day my opinion changed. As the eldest male in our family, he had a responsibility I still can't imagine.

Like I said, it had been a week since we had seen it. May had come and it seemed to be bringing a few changes for the Jarogniew household. Envy was extremely irritable, which was a bit unlike him. His short temper caused Mother to often lose her patience with him and the rest of us. Lust, however, seemed to have gotten over her grief for Mr. Feury. I was happy to see that she had the courage to press on with her life. Mother did not say much and even though that was pretty normal, when she did, it was just to lash out at Envy for whatever he was doing or saying. Really, the only one who noticed me anymore was Lust. Envy barely even acknowledged my existence anymore.

It was in this state that one night, Mother decided to bring about another, big change.

"There is a man from Skierniewice who is in need of a place to stay," she said, fixing each of us with a cold stare, "So I told Rabbi Farman that he could come here. He has no family, so I figured that he won't take up much room and as long as he pays rent he can stay." She brushed her braid over her shoulder. I could not tell how she truly felt about allowing a stranger into our home, but I got the feeling that she was not doing it out of the kindness of her heart. After all, every day, more and more Jews were coming to Warsaw. Sooner or later, there would be no more room for us.

Lust was the first to speak after Mother made her announcement. "He'll be staying in my room, then, right?" she asked, "So I'll move in with you, Mother." We'd had that conversation a couple of weeks before, I remembered. I could tell that Lust was a little nervous about this. She had every right to be, of course. I, myself, was a little uneasy about this stranger coming to live with us. At least he was not an SS soldier, I thought.

Mother just gave a curt nod as a reply. I wondered if she even knew the man's name yet or not. Silence quickly answered that question for me.

Envy made a snort of disdain. "I don't think we should let him come here," he said, "Then others will just show up and want to walk all over us too." It should have been obvious that he would say something like that. All of the new rules against Jews were starting to make him more and more angry so he was taking his anger out on the rest of us.

"Just once, can't you think about anything other than yourself?" Lust said quietly. Judging by the appalled look on Mother's face, I was not the only one who was surprised by her question. It was unusual that she would say something like that, especially to her own brother. She glared at Envy, her eyes narrow and furious.

Instead of saying he was sorry, Envy just shook his head and stood up. "You don't know what I'm going through, Lust," he spat, "You don't know what it feels like to be so damn helpless every day! I see those Germans out there, building that wall, and even though I don't know what it's for, I know it's not good for us! Don't you want to do something about it, or are you too submissive to care?" He seemed like he was letting his anger eat away at him. This helplessness he was talking about…I never thought I would be able to understand it.

I thought Lust would continue the argument, but she stayed silent. Her head was bowed, as if she was studying something on the table. She just did not want Envy to see that she was crying. If I knew my sister as well as I thought I did, then she was just as angry about what was happening around us as Envy was. She just displayed it in a different way.

Without warning, Envy stormed out of the kitchen. The slam of the front door startled all of us. Mother gave me a desperate look. "Wrath, go after him," she said quickly, "Don't let him do anything stupid now, or he'll get himself killed."

I barely had time to protest before she shoved me out the door. As I ran after my brother, I realized that I could not act like a child any longer. I was fourteen years old; it was time I became a man and showed Envy he wasn't the only man in the family. Despite the fact that I was terrified of confronting him, I knew that it had to happen.

After a few minutes, I finally caught up with him. "What do you think you're doing, Envy?" I asked, trying to control the anger that was growing inside of me. It was hard to think that only a few days ago, our lives had been so peaceful.

My brother did not give me much of a reply. He shoved me into the wall and kept on walking. That was more than I could handle in a calm manner, so I regained my composure as quickly as I could and continued after him. If I had to punch him to get him to answer me, I decided that was what I would have to do.

So, I did. I hit him hard on his left shoulder, knocking him to the ground. "Why're you doing this?" I shouted, "Can't you see you're tearing our family apart!" My eyes misted as I watched him get to his feet. I didn't have much time to notice that bewildered, hurt expression on his face before he punched me in the jaw. I reeled back and stumbled until I fell against the wall.

"You've got a lot of nerve saying that," Envy said, "But why aren't you doing anything to help? Hm? All you do is go to your stupid school! How is that going to help our family?" He did not give me a chance to say anything and my jaw hurt so much that I couldn't of anyway. I watched him walk away as tears stained my cheeks. I knew that was a childish thing to do, but I couldn't stop myself.

All of the emotions I'd been feeling seemed to combine into one as I sat there on the sidewalk; the anger I felt toward the Germans, the sorrow I felt about my family, and the hurt I felt because of Envy's hatred toward me. I squeezed my eyes shut, as if I was trying to shut out everything happening around me.

That's when I heard footsteps, dozens of footsteps, coming toward me. My whole body froze. I wanted to run away, but I seemed to have forgotten how to use my legs. A curfew had been set up recently and anyone not following it would be in major trouble. I did not even think about what might have happened already to Envy.

A group of SS soldiers came marching down the street. I don't know if they were patrolling or what, but I noticed that one of them, above all the rest, seemed more sinister than I could have imagined. His fierce, pale face seemed to glow in the moonlight. The way he walked with such precise steps told me that he was fully confident in everything he did, even a little arrogant, probably. Judging by his fancier uniform, I guessed that he was a higher rank than the men behind him.

I prayed that they did not notice me. Unfortunately, my prayers were not answered. The tall, pale man gave me a sharp glare and called his men to a halt. I immediately struggled to my feet, thinking it would be a good idea to do so. It was hard to look away from him once I finally looked up at him. He had an incredibly commanding air about him.

"Little boy," he began, "Don't you know there's a curfew?" Although his words were not harsh themselves, there was some kind of hate laced into them. His dark eyes were impenetrable.

Naturally, I hated how condescending he was being, but thankfully, I was not like Envy, otherwise I would have attacked him. "Y-yes, sir," I managed, even though the act of speaking sent ravaging pain through my mouth. I could taste blood. My sense of terror was beginning to override that pain. I knew if I didn't reply to his questions, I would be shot.

The man sneered at me. "Then why aren't you at home?" he asked, "And why is your lip bleeding?" He bent down to have a better look at me. I tried to avoid his piercing gaze. I felt like he could easily see right through any lie I told him.

"My…my brother, sir, he ran away," I stuttered, "So my Mother sent me after him." I didn't want to admit that Envy was out past curfew because they would probably go look for him and hurt him. When he asked me why my lip was bleeding, I had not even thought about that. Envy must have split it.

For a moment, the soldier was silent. "I asked you why your lip was bleeding, little boy," he said calmly. His voice was almost _too _calm, in fact.

I shrank back against the wall. I wanted to be invisible. "I…I got into a fight with my brother," I said, "He hit me." I felt like a coward for admitting all this; I was selling Envy out. The last thing I wanted was for my final memory of him to be a stupid fight. I began wishing there was some way I could take back what I did. There was no reason for me to have hit him.

The man sighed and straightened back up. "Oh. Go home, little boy," he said in a bored tone, "If we catch your brother, he'll be arrested. And if you're out here again, you'll be arrested too."

Without anything more than a "yes sir," I ran back home. My mind was empty but my jaw was throbbing. As soon as I got inside, I ran up the stairs and into the room I shared with Envy. I sat on my bed and cried. I didn't care if it was childish any longer or not. Envy was going to die because of me.

It did not take long for Lust to come up the stairs and into my room. I was not ashamed to show her that I was upset. She did not seem to think anything less of me as she sat down next to me on the bed. Without a word, she put her arms around me and pulled me into an embrace. I wanted to tell her everything that had happened, but I was scared to say that Envy probably would never be coming home.

"You don't have to tell me what happened, all right?" she whispered, "Envy will come back tomorrow with his tail between his legs, I'm sure." She ran her hand through my hair in an effort to get me to calm down.

When I finally did, I went into the bathroom with her to clean up my bloody lip. As soon as I saw myself in the mirror, I realized what a mess I was. My lip was swollen, split and bleeding and some of the teeth in the left side of my mouth felt strangely loose. I didn't want to think that they would fall out.

I went back into my room and fell asleep even though it hurt my head to lie down.

I don't know how I was able to sleep at all, that night.

The next morning, I lay in my bed longer than I normally would have. I didn't want to go downstairs to find out that Envy wasn't there. After about an hour of just lying there, I finally got up enough courage to get up and face my fears. As soon as I got to my feet, I stumbled back onto my bed. My head still ached painfully. I tried to put the pain out of my mind as I slowly walked out of the room and down the narrow stairs.

As usual, Mother and Lust were already awake. Both of them were in the kitchen, making breakfast. Envy, much to my surprise, was sitting at the table with a solemn expression on his face. I stared at him as if he were some kind of ghost. When he finally looked at me, he cracked a sideways grin.

"You really know how to throw punches, Wrath," he said. I couldn't tell if he was mad at me or if he was happy for whatever reason.

I smiled as much as I could and sat down across from him. He probably knew that I didn't want to talk, since my lip was still swollen and purple. I probably looked like I had an eggplant on my face. Come to think of it, Envy told me that's what it looked like a few minutes after I joined him at the table.

I assumed that Envy had already straightened things out with Mother and Lust. I was more than a little relieved to see that he had come home safely and that the SS soldiers _hadn't _found him.

Before he could compare my face to anymore vegetables, there was a knock at the door. Mother glanced over her shoulder at me, "Go and get that, will you?" she said. I couldn't argue with her so I did as I was told.

Upon opening the door, I found myself staring up at a tall man wearing round spectacles. He smiled down at me, bearing his almost strangely white teeth. "This the Jarogniew residence?" he asked. His accent was a little odd. I'd never heard anything like it before…Then again; I had never seen anything like _him _before, either. He wore something like a zut-suit and had an expensive looking fedora at a jaunty angle on his head. Under the hat was messy black hair.

I merely nodded and moved out of the way to let the man inside. It did not take him long to find the kitchen, where he introduced himself to us. "My name is Greed Lechoslaw," he said, giving my Mother and my sister polite kisses on their hands. I almost thought he would do the same to Envy and I, but he just shook our hands in a slightly pompous manner.

"Rabbi…er…Farman sent me here," he continued, "He said you were offering a room for rent." He had a hopeful look on his long face. I wondered how long he had been in Warsaw without a place to stay.

Mother nodded and gave him a slight smile. "Yeah, you're welcome to stay here if you can pay a monthly rent," she said. I could see the doubt in her eyes. She probably did not think Greed could afford whatever her price was. But at the same time, she seemed willing to give him a chance.

As they set up a price and so forth, I couldn't help but notice the fact that Lust was openly staring at him.

It appeared that Mr. Lechoslaw had brought about quite a few changes in our household.

(Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it! 3 The next chapter might skip ahead a few months to October but I'm not exactly sure yet. Anyway, stay tuned for chapter four 3 By the way, the soldier is Roy Mustang.)


	5. Warsaw, May, 1940 Part 2

Springen

Chapter Four: Warsaw, Poland, May 1940

It did not take much time at all for Mr. Greed Lechoslaw to integrate himself into the Jewish society of Warsaw. In fact, he took to the city like a duck takes to water. The first time he went with us to the Great Synagogue, Envy and I were quick to notice how many women were attracted to him. I was not particularly jealous, but, of course, Envy was.

The strange thing about Greed was the fact that he paid absolutely no attention to those girls, even though they were all certainly good looking. However, after about two weeks with him around our home, I realized why he was like that; he was in love with Lust. Every day, he would walk with her to the shop where she and Mother worked and every day, he would leave his job at an enamel ware factory just in time to be able to walk home with her. I thought that would be awkward for Mother, but I later learned that she left later than Lust and Greed did so as not to disturb them.

Since Lust now had a constant companion and Envy was out most of the time with Winry (which Mother was not keen on at all anymore), I was left to my own devices.

Mother did not have time for me so I had to walk to and from school alone. Every day, I walked passed the wall that the Germans were building. I kept thinking I would see that black haired soldier who had threatened to arrest me. Luckily, he seemed nowhere to be found. That didn't mean that I was not paranoid about being around the soldiers. I hated going near them, just as they probably hated seeing me around their wall.

But one day, Lust, Envy, and Mother were all busy, and Greed needed to get new work papers so he could officially hold a job in Warsaw. Up until that point, he had been working with his Skierniewice papers, which the Germans no longer accepted. It wouldn't have been a problem if the enamel ware factory had been owned by a Jew, but we were no longer allowed to own businesses. Any business that even allowed us to work there had to have the Star of David painted on the window.

So, that day, it was up to me to take him to see the Judenrat to get his papers changed. The Judenrat was a group of elected officials who took care of all sorts of needs for us, whether it was our work papers or finding people places to stay. I had been to see them once to get work papers of my own, but Mother was still insisting that I go to school. I tried to argue and tell her that I was old enough to work. She did not seem to think so though; her words had been enough to prove that. It seemed she wanted me to stay a child as long as I could, but that when the need came, I could be an adult.

At that time, I didn't quite understand what she meant.

"You don't say much for a teenager," Greed said to me as we left our house that morning. He glanced down at me from behind his little, round glasses. The grin on his face reminded me of Envy's when he told me I threw good punches.

"I don't really have much to say," I replied with a shrug. By that time, my lip had healed up for the most part. At night, my jaw still ached, but it was nothing compared to how it had felt when it first happened. Still, I didn't mean to be silent so much. It was just how I was; I didn't want to get in the way and I definitely didn't want to make Envy angry again.

Greed chuckled and shrugged carelessly. "You're one of those people who just likes to observe everyone else around them, huh?" he said as he reached down and ruffled my shaggy black hair. He seemed to be quite free spirited, which was a nice change from Envy's lack of a temper, Mother's constant tight silence, and Lust's despair…which, by now, was almost completely gone. I did not want to admit to myself that I was jealous of the attention that Lust was giving to Greed. Now, however, I realize that was exactly what I was feeling.

It was my turn to shrug. "I guess I am," I agreed. It was true that I liked to figure out the people around me, whether they were my family or friends or anyone else. I suppose the reason why I never had much to say was because I was too busy thinking about what the people around me were saying to each other. Maybe that was why Lust had taken to Greed's side so quickly.

"Then…Can you answer a question for me?" Greed asked. I could sense the hesitation in his voice. It was strange to see him acting serious—most of the time he was a very carefree person.

For a moment, I tried to think of what he was going to ask me. Since I didn't know him very well, though, it was hard to predict what it would be. "Um, all right," I said slowly. It had been a while since I had really had anything resembling a conversation with people outside of my family. I suppose it was a little awkward for me to be speaking like this with Greed.

His face lit up with a smile, not a sideways grin, which was unusual. "Great!" he cried. He stooped down, as if to be the same height as me, and spoke in a harsh whisper. "What do you think your sister thinks of me?"

I stopped walking out of surprise and stared up at Greed with wide eyes. Of all the things to ask me, he had to ask me about _Lust_! I thought it would be obvious to him how she felt; she was constantly with him and always laughed at his jokes, no matter how stupid Envy and I thought they were. "I…I don't know," I said, blushing out of embarrassment. I had not really spoken with Lust lately, so how on earth did he expect me to know what she truly thought of him?

Greed sighed dramatically. "Oh, come on, Wrath," he pleaded, "I know you know more about her than you're letting on! Just…tell me what you think." He barely even noticed the wall as we drew closer to the office the Judenrat had set up in. I thought it was amazing that he could be so concentrated on Lust.

"I told you, I don't know for certain what she thinks of you," I said, shaking my head, "But my guess is that she does really like you." The sooner this conversation ended the better. I did not like to think that he might ask Lust to marry him. It meant that he might take her back to Skierniewice when all the silly laws against Jews living in smaller cities were taken away. I knew it was selfish of me to feel that way, but if I lost her, I felt like I would really be alone.

This seemed to be the answer that Greed was hoping for. He ruffled my hair again, more vigorously that time, and followed me to the office without another word. Any hint of seriousness had completely disappeared.

The office of the Judenrat was in the city hall. It was on the second story, in the back, since most people didn't want to deal with us Jews anymore. We were only allowed into the city hall if we were going to see the Judenrat; none of us were allowed to take part in meetings or seminars or anything.

I led Greed up the stairs and down the hall to a small, crowded room. Even though we had gotten there early, there were already quite a few people in there, stating their complaints. As we stood waiting by the door, I overheard a young mother telling one of the Judenrat that a German officer had come into her home and told her to get out, that it now belonged to him. I tried not to eavesdrop too much, but the story seemed so farfetched to me at first. When I got a glimpse of the anger and the sorrow etched into her face, however, I knew that it was true.

After about twenty minutes, Greed was granted a turn to speak with one of the Judenrat. I stayed by the door because I figured Greed would want some sort of privacy, even though the matter was not that important or personal. All Jews had to get work papers in order to hold jobs, so this was routine.

It did not take him long to get his Warsaw papers. The line of people with complaints and other needs had grown quite a bit since we had arrived. That was the trick, I thought to myself, arrive early and there will be no waiting in line. Greed returned to my spot at the door and without a word, I led him out of the city hall.

That very same night, a strange turn of events occurred. Envy and I were in our room, silently preparing to go to sleep. I had just climbed into my bed when he broke the peaceful silence with, to my confusion, a sob. Naturally, I had no idea what had upset him. Envy tended to keep to himself now. For a moment, I was not sure if I should look over at him and ask him what was wrong or not. But he did not stop, so I took it upon myself to see if I could get him to open up to me.

"Envy?" I asked softly, "What's the matter?" I was too scared to get close to him—when he got upset, he tended to get a little violent. Confronting him was something I generally tried to avoid, so this was an odd step for me.

My brother turned away from me. His hands were covering his face. It was obvious that he was ashamed of his actions. The way he lay, curled up in his bed, reminded me of a child more than it did a young adult. Even though I was younger than him, I felt that it had become my responsibility to take care of him, at least until he calmed down. I got out of my bed and walked over to his. Awkwardly, I sat down and placed my hand on his shoulder.

It seemed like we stayed that way for hours before he finally turned to me and stared at me with his puffy, bloodshot eyes. "I'm sorry…" he whispered hoarsely, "I hardly want you to see your older brother looking like such a coward…But I can't stop myself." Envy was trying to stay calm. Even after crying, he wanted to regain as much dignity as he could.

"Please tell me what's wrong," I said. This was my one chance to actually try and make a _difference _in someone else's life and Envy was certainly more important to me than any friend I might have. He was family. I had to do whatever I could for him and hope he would do the same for me.

Envy sighed shakily and closed his eyes. For a moment, he almost looked like he was sleeping. "A friend of mine was arrested and…killed today," he slowly replied, "S-she hadn't even done anything! The soldiers said she'd…been working without pro-proper papers and when she said she'd left her papers at home, they arrested her…And then I heard it. 'Martel is dead.'"

Martel was Envy's dearest friend. The two of them had been together for as long as I could remember. They had a relationship similar to Al and mine, but since Martel was also Jewish, they had been able to remain close. Ever since I met Martel, she had always been kind to me. In a way, she was like another older sister to me. Although she had been an important person in my life, I knew that Envy's sense of loss was much greater.

It took me a while to regain any will to say something. Envy needed comforting more than I did, though, so I had to do whatever I could for him. "How did you find out?" I asked. I was not quite sure if this would be an appropriate question to ask just yet; he might not be willing to discuss it in detail.

"Wrath…Please…I don't even want to think about anything right now," Envy stuttered, "Just stay here, all right? That's all I want…" Seeing him this way made me wish there was more that I could do for him.

I stayed with him there, on his bed, for the rest of the night. I can't remember now if we ever slept or not.

(Author's Note: Ok, this was a weird chapter for me to write…And it's a lot shorter than the other ones, but this just seemed like an appropriate place to end it. Anyway, things are going to get a lot more intense in the next chapter! Sorry this took so long!)


	6. Warsaw, October, 1940

Springen

Chapter Five: Warsaw, Poland, October, 1940

I was no longer allowed to attend school. Not only did Mother no longer think it was safe for me, but the Germans had also proclaimed Jews were no longer allowed to be educated. Honestly, I was not upset by the fact that my education had been cut short; the Christian students had started harassing us and the teachers would do nothing to stop them. It became so bad that one girl was hospitalized. I had not seen what happened to her, but according to the others, a boy stabbed her somewhere with a pencil. We could not fight back. If we did, we would get expelled. All we could do was find places to hide.

Perhaps the worst thing to me was that I had not seen Al in months, and now with the ban from school, I doubted I ever would again. Either way, his parents had probably instructed him to stay away from me and Edward was more than likely sticking to him like his own shadow. Even though I wanted to see him, I really had no idea what we would possibly say to each other. We had completely different lives now. As much as I did not want to admit it to myself, Al probably did not want to see me anyway. In my mind, I had an image of him becoming more and more like his brother. Maybe he would join the Nazi party, maybe he wouldn't. At that time, I thought I might never hear of him or from him again.

The loss (which I use loosely here, since he did not actually pass away) of my best friend was undeniably hard for me to bear. I said nothing of this to my family though; most of them had their own problems to deal with.

In the months after Martel was murdered, Envy and Winry's relationship went on a downward spiral. Although Envy did not want to say it, he and the rest of us all knew the reason Winry didn't want to be with him was because he was a Jew. He had spoken with Mother about asking her to get engaged, but less than a week after that, she told him she did not want to see him any more. I knew her rejection hurt him, but he did not speak to me about it. Ever since the night he told me about Martel, he hadn't said much to me.

Life had not been terrible for all of my family, though. Lust and Greed were having a wonderful relationship. If everything had been normal for us, they might have married. Unfortunately, marriage was a rare thing among our community now, so they chose to remain the way they were. Neither of them complained about it, after all, it was their decision. They did, however, agree that when this mess was over, they would have a big family of their own.

Mother had not changed; she was just as stoic as ever. I wished she would have said _something_; I barely knew her, yet I had spent my entire life with her. Not even Lust, the eldest of her three children, knew much about her. It was strange to think such things, but Mother continued to be an enigma to me. I could not easily tell what she might be thinking, like I could do with Envy and Lust. There were times when she seemed happy she would let her old self show through her cold exterior. When I saw her like that, I thought that must have been what she was like when my Father was still alive, when she was happy all the time. I wished she could be happy with us, but to lose someone she obviously loved so much was too much for her, I suppose.

In October of 1940, all the Jews were called to Tlomackie Square for an announcement the Germans wanted to make. Envy was convinced they were going to kill us then and there. Right after he said that, Greed snapped at him to be quiet, that he was scaring Lust and I. I wanted to say I was not frightened, but that would have been a lie. All of us were scared. As we joined the huge crowd, I could see the nervous confusion on other people's faces as well.

Because there were so many people crowded into the square, I could not see what was actually going on. "Lust, what's happening?" I asked once I got her attention. Since she was the tallest and most responsive of us, I figured it would be the best idea to ask her. Envy was too short and probably would have given me some kind of retort…But he seemed to know quite well what was happening. The angry expression on his face told me that much.

"There's a group of soldiers standing on a platform. I think one of them is about to speak," she replied as the crowd began to quiet down. I glanced down at her and Greed's hands. They were clasped together tightly. At least someone in our family was receiving some kind of comfort, I thought, Lust needed it more than anyone else, really. Envy and I could fend for ourselves and even though I may not have been very friendly with Greed, I appreciated what he was doing for her.

Before I could even think of another question to ask, one of the soldiers began speaking. "You're all here because you have one thing in common," he began, "You're all Jews." I recognized that voice immediately; it was the black haired soldier, the one who had threatened to arrest me several months before. To think that he was still in Warsaw gave me a sense of dread.

"New laws have been taken from Germany to be set in place here. You will all be expected to abide by these laws, or you will face imprisonment or death," he continued, his voice ringing in the heavy silence, "Firstly, you will all wear a symbol on their clothing, marking you as a Jew. It will be a blue six pointed Star of David on a white band. You will wear this on your right arm at all times."

Before he could continue, there was a roar of rage. I suspected it was coming from the members of the revolt Envy had mentioned. The curses and shouts were so loud they rattled my bones. While I heard Greed and my brother joining them, I stayed quiet. I could see no reason why the Germans would need to mark us. But then, maybe they would be giving the Christians some kind of mark too; they had already made it quite obvious we were separate from one another…Why not take it a step further?

Gunshots were fired into the sky to get the mob to stop their screaming. I could hear the Germans threatening some of the Jews at the front of the crowd. "Be silent!" the black haired soldier commanded. It did not take long for him to regain his control. "I'm sure, by now, you have noticed the walls we've been building. The area within those walls is where you will _all _be expected to be living in by March of next year," he said, "If we find any of you living outside of those walls, you _will _be executed."

So that was what those walls were for. Not only were the Germans marking us, they were confining us to a limited space. I did not know how big this "living area" was exactly, but something told me it would not be big enough for all the Warsaw Jews to live in comfortably. Ever since all of the Jews from the countryside had come to the city, it had been unbelievably cramped at the synagogues along with every where else we were still allowed to go. I could hardly imagine what it would be like for all of us to move into a confined area.

Mother ordered us all to go home right when it seemed the soldier was done barking at us. I knew she wanted us to get away before any riots could start. Lust and Greed were walking up ahead of the rest of us, talking quietly to one another. Envy and Mother were both silent. While I had a feeling that Envy was scheming some way to get back at the Germans, I had no idea what Mother was thinking. Occasionally, I would look up at her, hoping she might give me some idea, but there was nothing.

As soon as we got home, Lust and Mother left again; they were going to get scraps of fabric and thread from the shop they worked at to make our arm bands. Envy, Greed, and I stayed in the kitchen. I could tell that Greed wanted to say something, but he was hesitant to do so. That was probably because of Envy's angry stare. He was not looking at Greed, of course; he had no reason to be angry with him. No, he was angry with the Germans, just as we all were.

We all wanted to get rid of them. Now, however, the idea of them just leaving and this mess just being over was starting to seem less and less likely. As I sat at the table, staring down at the patterns in the wood, I wondered if the reason we were being treated this way was because we truly had done something wrong. Maybe we deserved this treatment for some crime the entire Jewish population had committed unknowingly. I frowned at that thought. It was a possibility.

About an hour later, the two of them returned. They set out fabric, thread, and needles on the table and then took their seats. Mother fixed each of us with her intense stare. "I know none of you like this," she said, "I don't, either, but if we want to survive another day, I suppose we have to wear these things." As she spoke, she grabbed one of the strips of the white cloth and laid it flat on the table. Her hands were shaking.

"Let's just talk about something else, hm?" Greed suggested with a forced smile. I was glad he had made that suggestion, even though such an idea seemed a bit difficult at that time.

Envy indignantly snatched his supplies and narrowed his eyes at Greed. "Right, let's just pretend none of this is even happening!" he grumbled, shaking his head, "Do you really think it's that easy, Lechoslaw? To just say 'Oh, we'll just talk about the weather instead of the fact we're being branded like cattle!'" His voice cracked. Whatever composure he might have had moments ago was completely gone. It scared me to see him this way; he was falling apart and there was no one who could help him because he would not let himself _be_ helped.

Greed frowned and meekly looked down at the fabric in his hands. It was obvious he wanted to argue, but he probably did not want to do so in front of Lust. He did not like Envy that much was evident. Envy seemed to return those feelings. I wondered how much longer it would be until they were at each other's throats.

Mother slammed her fist on the table as soon as Envy was done speaking. "That is enough, you stupid boy," she said, "Do you have any idea what you're saying? Do you think you're the only one who does not like what's happening to us?" Her dark eyes were wide with anger. I don't think I had ever seen her that way before. It was frightening to see her that way, but at the same time, someone needed to put Envy in his place and she certainly had the right to do so.

Envy let Mother have the last word in that argument. He finished making his arm band, which was definitely the sloppiest out of the five that we made, and left the kitchen without another word.

The next few days were unusually quiet. I had yet to go see the Judenrat about getting work papers; Mother expected me to do so since I was no longer allowed to attend school. Because all of the others had jobs already, I was instructed to remain at home until one of them had time to accompany me to the city hall.

It did not take long for me to become restless. Oftentimes, I would stare out the window, waiting for a familiar face. By the time anyone came home, though, it would be too late to go to the city hall, so I would have to wait another day…And another…And another, until finally, Lust came home from work early and told me it was time to see the Judenrat.

This was exciting for me; not only was I getting out of the house, but I would be able to be alone with the one person I trusted and treasured above anyone else. While Lust may not have felt the same, I thought we had some kind of unspoken bond. (We certainly got along better than Envy and I did, at any rate.) On the rare occasion that we _did _argue, it was never about anything serious. Perhaps this was why she was the only family member I went to for advice, although I rarely did.

"I'm sorry you had to stay at home for so long, Wrath," Lust said to me as we walked toward the city hall. For fall, it was already fairly cold, so she was wearing a long coat and a scarf. I distinctly remember the scarf being pale pink. It had been a gift from Greed when he confessed his feelings to her.

I simply shook my head. "It's fine," I replied, "I was getting a little sick of just sitting around, but I didn't really mind." Yes, it had been irritating. I was not one to complain though, especially to my sister. I certainly did not want to bore her with the moans and groans of a fourteen year old. After all, she probably did not want to hear it anyway.

A slight smile formed on Lust's full lips. She glanced down at me for a moment…During those few seconds, everything seemed normal again. I didn't think about the armbands we wore, or the fact that I couldn't go to school, or even the threat of the new "living area" that was looming over us. For once, I was just with my sister and that was all that really mattered.

That blissful moment did not last long; as soon as the city hall came into view, all of the things I'd been able to forget came seeping back into my mind. Somehow, as I opened the door to let Lust in first, I realized that the worst was still yet to come.

(Author's Note: Sort of short again, but there will be a lot going on in the next couple of chapters! Please review! And to those who are, thanks so much I appreciate it!)


	7. Into the Ghetto, March, 1941

Springen

Chapter Six: Into the Ghetto, March, 1941

Winter had ended uneventfully. I worked in a factory that produced glass bottles from six in the morning to six at night every day, without pay. By spring, I had turned fifteen, but my boss said I had to be older if I wanted to earn any money. The only members of our family who were earning money anymore were Greed (he had lived with us for so long now, we considered him one of us) and my brother, Envy. Because Mother and Lust were Jewish women, they received no pay at all.

The violence against Jews was getting worse and worse each day. It was not just the soldiers who would attack us; regular Polish citizens would lash out at us as we walked home from work or went to the synagogue. Amazingly, the Germans had yet to try and take our religion away, although the Great Synagogue in Tlomackie Square had been shut down and turned into something else. Even the Judenrat had been moved from the city hall to a smaller building near the so-called "living area" we would soon have to move in to.

We all knew that little by little, our freedom was dissolving. When this had all started, none of us thought that the Germans would go even this far. But now, even the most hopeful of our community were beginning to see our situation as a dismal one. Rabbi Farman's speeches lacked enthusiasm…Going to any sort of holiday celebration was more like attending a funeral. Even Greed no longer had that characteristic spark in his eyes. The only time he was happy was when he was with my sister. Lust obviously felt the same way. Our bond had almost completely disappeared. Mother, once again, had barely changed at all. She still said little to anyone and detached herself from whatever we were doing as much as possible.

Strangely, the only one who stayed determined was Envy. I was not sure if he was trying to be optimistic or if he had just gone crazy, for he was constantly talking to me about planning a revolt. Occasionally, I would put in a comment or two and he would either agree or disagree. Either way, it didn't matter; I was just happy to have someone to talk to. It was during the months between October and March, when Envy and I became close.

To tell the truth, I had never thought we would get along, but now, all we really had was each other. While I missed Al and was upset by the fact Lust no longer offered me the comfort she used to, I knew I was not alone. After all, Envy had lost Martel, his best friend, and his girlfriend, Winry. None of my friends had passed away, but some how I felt I was able to sympathize with my brother. The bond that I had once shared with Lust seemed to have reformed with Envy.

Although our relationship had certainly improved, there was an atmosphere of hesitation throughout the house. Even at the synagogue, I could see the fear on people's faces; the last day we were allowed to live in our homes was quickly approaching. None of us wanted to move away from all the memories that had been created in those places. After living in the same place for my entire life, it was hard to accept the fact that we were being _forced_ to leave. I knew that if we were leaving voluntarily, it still would have been a sad event, but not of this magnitude.

While I was definitely upset about this, I knew that Mother was probably agonizing over it. The house I grew up in had been the one her and my Father bought together when they first got married. Her emotional attachment to our house was stronger than any other's of our family. I wanted to talk to her about it. I wanted to tell her that somehow, everything would be made right again…But I could not say that without feeling like it was a lie.

Perhaps the worst thing about our situation thus far was that we all knew the area the Germans had walled off for us was the worst part of the city. No one wanted to live there and no one was making any motions to fix it up. The actual reason for the Germans' actions was still unclear. Some people thought that eventually, they would tell us, but I knew that whatever it was we had done to deserve this would remain a mystery until the very end, whenever that end would be.

On March twentieth, the day before we had to move, we were packing up the items we wanted to take with us. The Germans instructed us to only take things we could use, such as clothing, work tools, and so forth. We were not to take any valuables, but Mother insisted on keeping her wedding band, for obvious reasons. Beyond that, we really did not own anything that was of value. Mother was a practical woman who did not believe that material things brought happiness. I agreed with her mainly because I did not know any other way of life, but honestly, I did think that it was for the better to not get attached to small things; otherwise when they're all taken away, it would be too much to bear.

Envy and I were in our room, putting a few remaining things into our suitcase. For the first time in a long time, we were not speaking. Nothing really needed to be said; we both knew what needed to be done and we were probably thinking the exact same things anyway. Envy was trying not to show that he was upset about moving. I could tell that much by his stiff movements. As with Mother, I wanted to tell him things would be all right, but I knew that he definitely would not believe me. After all, I could hardly believe myself.

I sat down on my bed and looked over at Envy when I was done. "Do you think that once we move, things will settle down again?" I asked, starting a conversation for once. Ever since Envy and I had started to get along better, I had become more open around him. I could tell that he appreciated my company, even if he did not want to admit it.

"It's possible, I guess," Envy replied with a shrug, "But I doubt the Germans are just gonna leave us alone. It wouldn't make sense." He snapped the suitcase shut and set it on the floor near the door. Like the rest of us, he was trying not to think about what the future held. It created too many questions that would go unanswered.

The idea that the Germans were doing this merely for segregation was the only thing I could think of. Judging by the way the soldiers treated us I had a feeling that they had something even more horrible in mind. Of course, I did not want to tell anyone else that thought; it would only make things worse. If the Germans really did want us to be gone, why didn't they just send us out of the country? That was a question I often wondered about, but I knew it was something I could not answer for myself.

"What do you think it'll be like to move?" I could hardly stop myself from asking that question. Envy's opinion, however frank or harsh, meant something to me now. I watched him as he thought over my words with a slight frown on his face.

He shook his head and lay back on his bed. "How should I know?" he snorted, "It's probably gonna be really bad. That area isn't big enough for all of us…and I know as a fact we won't be able to live alone." Envy laced his fingers together, his hands resting on his middle. He turned his head so that he could look at me. That same anger that had been in his eyes for almost a year now remained as strong as ever; it was some kind of quiet, yet passionate rage that had been growing inside of him. I wondered when it would overwhelm him.

For a moment, I could think of nothing to say. At times like these, it was hard to keep up conversations with Envy, especially concerning such touchy subjects. "Well…Maybe it won't be as bad as we think it'll be," I said, trying to lighten the mood. Tomorrow was going to be difficult for all of us. A nervous feeling was building up in my stomach already. I had no doubt that the Germans would be watching us to make sure we didn't try anything stupid.

…Or would fighting them actually be "stupid?" I asked myself that as I leaned against the wall. To fight against something bigger, more evil, than oneself…Wouldn't that be courage?

I didn't have much time to dwell on such thoughts; Mother came in and told us it was time to go to bed. After all, we had a long day ahead of us and there was no point in being tired and sloppy in front of the German soldiers.

When I woke up the next morning, at first I thought it was just a regular day. I didn't think we'd be leaving the house I'd called home for fifteen years. At first, I just lay in my bed, staring up at the white ceiling. My mind was empty, or at least, I was trying to keep it empty; I did not want to think. As I sat up, tears pooled in my eyes, although I did not feel sad, honestly, I don't recall feeling anything at all.

Envy was already up, waiting for me by the door. He had a slightly impatient expression on his face, which told me I did not have much time to get ready. I climbed out of my bed and got dressed without saying anything more than a 'good morning' to my brother. We both knew it really was not a "good" morning, but I said it, just the same. I followed him out the door, trying not to look back. I knew I had to put this place behind me, so there was no point in getting emotional about it, as hard as it was not do so.

We joined Mother, Lust, and Greed downstairs. None of us said a word. Outside, I could see people heading toward the walls. All of them wore their armbands. None of them were smiling or speaking. Mother glanced down at me, her face an emotionless mask. I stared up at her, into her dark eyes. Just once, I pleaded mentally, just once let me know what you are thinking. I wanted to help her; she had no companion like Lust had Greed. Envy and I had a bond, but it was nothing special…But Mother needed someone to confide in, that much I knew for sure.

"Let's go, then," Mother said, tearing her gaze away from mine. She mustered up whatever dignity she had and led us out of the house. I was, thankfully, not the last one out. That unfortunate duty landed on Greed. He closed the door softly and left it on the doorstep for whoever was going to come and claim it as his own.

A couple of people in the crowd glanced at us as we joined them. They were people we knew, but at that moment, we barely acknowledged each other. I situated myself between Mother and Envy and began that slow walk to the wall. It was hard not to imagine what it was going to be like. Images of prisons and soldiers kept popping into my head, growing more and more intense with each step. The soldiers would probably kill us for the smallest offense; they had already killed people for more or less no reason at all.

Martel…Mr. Feury…And a number of others were gone simply for being who they were.

At the entrance to our new "living area" was a gate with a six pointed Star of David on the top of it. Standing along the sidewalk, were all the Polish people who had joined the Nazi party. I could see soldiers amongst them. They were all shouting curses at us and saying things like "good bye, Jews." I bit down on my lip, trying to keep some kind of composure. Envy was getting angry, though. I could see him glaring at the people on the sidewalk as we walked by.

Much to my surprise, I saw Al standing in the crowd. He stared at me with wide, scared eyes. I could hardly believe he was there, but then I spotted his brother, Edward, next to him. Unsure of what to do, I simply nodded to him, trying to show him that my family and I would be all right.

That was when it happened.

Edward had something in his hand, whether it was a rock or a rotten vegetable, I can't recall now, but he threw it at us, shouting something along the lines of "go to Hell." It hit Lust on her shoulder. Surprised, she stumbled slightly, but Greed helped her regain her balance. He glared at Edward with such a ferocity I expected him to jump on him and beat him.

But Envy cut him to the chase. "You bastard," he snarled as he stormed toward the sidewalk. Horrified, I watched him. He was going to get himself in trouble, how much, I was not sure.

Before he could even land a punch, a gunshot resounded through the area, silencing any chortles from the Nazis. Envy stumbled and fell to his knees. I watched, my mind empty, my body numb. I couldn't even think to see where he had been shot. Greed hurried over to him and helped him up. His foot, I noticed, was at an odd angle, and as he continued toward the entrance, he leaned heavily on Greed and did not put any weight on it.

I looked into the crowd. There, holding a gun, was the very soldier who had threatened to arrest me a year or so ago. He grinned defiantly at me. It was obvious he recognized me. By that time, I knew his name; Commandant Roy Mustang. That was all I knew about him, but because of the fact _he_ had shot my brother, I wanted revenge, some how.

At that moment, though, all I could do was follow the rest of my family beyond the walls. I was desperate to talk with Envy and see if he was going to be all right, but first we had to find a place to stay. There were many apartment buildings, so Mother chose the one was closest, since we wanted to get Envy help as quickly as possible. As we went inside, I glanced at him. His face was as white as chalk and his hands were shaking. It hurt to see him that way, but I was incredibly glad that the Commandant had _some _form of mercy and had not killed him.

Somehow, we managed to get up a set of stairs and found an apartment that was fairly empty. The only people who were in it were Sciezka, the girl from the library, and another lady, who resembled Sciezka a little. I assumed they were sisters. Mother asked if we would be allowed to stay with them. They both nodded and said that they were the only two in their family.

Greed lay Envy down on the floor and gently took his shoe and sock off. Both were smothered with blood. I joined Greed at Envy's side.

"You don't need to see this, Wrath," Greed said as soon as I sat down next to him. Those words offended me; I was closer to Envy than I ever had been before. I thought that out of anyone in our family, I should be allowed to be with him.

Envy apparently agreed. He grabbed my arm, squeezing my wrist tightly out of the pain he was going through. "I want him to stay," he said hoarsely.

Those words remain perfectly intact in my head. Even now, so many years later, I can recall that moment as if it had just happened. Envy and I were brothers and we were finally starting to act that way.

(Author's Note: This chapter may seem kind of strange and unemotional. I did that for a reason; Wrath is restraining himself. As with him not wanting to show emotion at leaving their old house, he doesn't want to give away too much about how he felt about what happened to his brother. I'm trying to make this as realistic as possible.

Thanks for reading! 3)


	8. Envy's Last Days, Warsaw Ghetto, 1941

Springen

Chapter Seven: Envy's Last Days, Warsaw Ghetto, 1941

Out first night in our new "home" was a miserable one. All of us stayed at Envy's side, although he kept telling us he was fine. I could see the pain in his eyes as he tried to stay conscious. His foot was red and swollen, but the bleeding had stopped, which was a huge relief. It was hard for me to imagine what he was going through; all I could do was stay close to him. I was not sure if any words of comfort would help.

Mother was trying to keep up her calm composure. I suppose she thought that if she lost hope, then we would as well. She bit her lip for a moment and broke the heavy silence that had formed around us. "Tomorrow morning, I will go look for a doctor," she said, "I know of someone who can help, but right now it would be useless to try and find him." I could tell that she wanted to get help right then, but with all the chaos of everyone moving into new places, no one would know where anyone was.

"What can we do right now, then?" Lust asked hesitantly. Ever since Envy had been shot, she had been keeping a constant worried eye on him. I suppose she felt guilty because of what happened, but it could not be changed now. None of us knew what would become of Envy. I don't think any of us even wanted to think about it. Even if Mother found the doctor she spoke of, gunshot wounds were not something most doctors in Warsaw were familiar with. All we could do was hope that he would be able to pull through.

Greed put his arm protectively around Lust's shoulders. "We just have to wait," he said, "That's all we can do." He paused and glanced down at my brother, who lay on a blanket we had put out on the floor. There were no mattresses to be found. "It's hard, I know…but we might end up hurting him if we try anything on our own." While Greed was right, I wanted to argue at first and say that we could at least try and remove the bullet. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. If one of us tried to take the bullet out, we'd probably make the wound much worse.

I looked down at Envy, wondering how he could be putting up with all this. His face was taut and extremely pale. His jaw was chattering and his hands were shaking. Slowly, I touched his shoulder, hoping to get his attention. "Envy…What can we do? Is there anything you need?" I asked. I hated feeling so helpless, but there was really not much any of us could do. After finally getting so close to him, it hurt to see him this way. Just when things were starting to look up for us, the Commandant had taken it all away.

Envy tried to smile at me, but it just turned into a grimace. "No. I got what I deserved, I guess," he stuttered.

What he meant by that, I was not sure. He did not _deserve _that wound; the Commandant had overreacted. "How can you say that?" I asked, trying to keep some sort of personal control. In that way, I suppose I was like my Mother. Maybe I was afraid to show my real emotions for fear of someone thinking I was weak. I had never been one to tell people how I really felt about anything, but I had a feeling that this time, things would be different.

"All the…all the times I've argued with you, all the times I've tried to go against the Germans," Envy replied, "That's really why I got shot." He squeezed his eyes shut. Whether it was to shut out the mental or physical pain, I was not sure. But it was obvious that he was going through more than just physical anguish; he probably regretted trying to attack Edward…He probably regretted every little thing he had ever done to make anyone angry.

We lost the rebellious part of Envy the moment those words came out of his mouth.

I was strangely grateful that Mother and the others had left this conversation to me. Since I had started it, I wanted to be the one to finish it. "Envy, please don't think that," I said, taking his shaking hand in my own, "No one could have known that'd happen, right? And…you'll be all right. I'm sure you will be." Deep down, I knew that my words probably offered more comfort to myself than they did to him. I did not want to think that losing him was a possibility.

Envy squeezed my hand slightly, as if to reassure me. "I'll be back on my feet in no time," he said, "Don't worry about me." Perhaps not all of his spark had been distinguished.

I knew that would not be possible. Envy's foot would probably be rendered useless. Even if he did recover, he would not be able to move at anything more than a limp. He certainly would not be able to hold any sort of job…And I knew that he would not be able to accept life as a cripple.

We took turns staying up with him, since he could not sleep. When I was supposed to sleep, I found that I could not. My mind was filled with thoughts of the future and memories that I had come to treasure. I thought about what life was like before the Germans invaded Poland. While Envy and I hadn't been on good terms then, we were never at each other's throats. It was comforting to think about those times, even if we had argued about something foolish. Anything was better than what was happening now.

During the day, I skipped work at the glassware factory to stay with Envy. I did not care that I had lost my position in the factory; we were all "essential workers," as the Germans called us, so I knew I could find work elsewhere. My brother was much more important than some job, so I was more than willing to make that sacrifice. Of course, Envy told me that I should have gone. But I insisted that he needed someone there. Lust and Greed had gone to work and Mother was out looking for the doctor. So I was conveniently the only one left.

Unfortunately, Envy's condition worsened as the day progressed. The bullet wound had resumed bleeding and he was starting to show signs of some kind of illness. He had a slight fever and complained of nausea. I tried to find water to give him to help relieve the fever, but no where around us had any. The only way I could try to ebb the bleeding was to put pressure on the wound, and even that was not doing much good.

I was being pushed to my limits, but I had to try and stay calm. If I panicked, then there would be no hope for Envy at all.

That evening, Envy was slipping in and out of consciousness. Thankfully, Mother returned with the doctor. Of course, he was Jewish so he did not have all of the equipment that he really needed because he was no longer officially allowed to do his practice. Regardless of that, it was a relief to see him. He took one look at Envy and calmly asked us to wait outside.

While we waited, Lust and Greed returned. Lust told Mother that their boss wanted to speak with her about missing a day's work. That was all I can remember of the conversation; my mind was too busy concentrating on other things. Although I had told myself not to think about Envy, he was all I could see. I sat down on the ground and leaned against the wall of the building we now called home. Bowing my head, I prayed that somehow, he would survive. Somehow, the Lord would let him live to see the end of the war, so that Envy could see that we could be free again someday, if the Germans lost.

As I ended my prayer, I couldn't help but wonder if the Germans could possibly lose at all; their forces were overcoming all of Europe. By that time, they'd already conquered Austria and Denmark and were now, from what little I'd heard, fighting with Sweden. I imagined that eventually, the Germans would take over all of Europe and then move on to other continents. Could they even defeat America?

If they did, then the world would truly be over.

For the end of March, it was still quite cold. We huddled together and said little. Luckily no Germans came down the street. Otherwise, I'm sure we would have been questioned. If we told them the truth, they would probably march inside and kill Envy on the spot. I did not want to think that way, but I could not stop myself.

As I sat there, between Greed and Mother, I wondered if Commandant Mustang had really shown Envy mercy or not. Would a quick death have been better than a slow, agonizing one?

No…He was not going to die, I told myself. He would live. He would lead a revolt against the Nazis and free Poland.

We stood outside for another hour and a half. The doctor came out with an unreadable expression on his wary face. "There was little I could do for him," he said hesitantly, "I've removed the bullet and bandaged his foot so now all we can do is hope that it was not already infected. If you need me again tonight, I will not be far from here. I will come by tomorrow to see how he is doing." With that, he said a soft farewell and headed off down the street.

Slowly, we went back inside. The other two women who shared the room with us were on the far side of the room, trying to allow us some sort of privacy. Envy was asleep. I looked up at Mother and noticed tears glittering in her eyes. She knew what was to come.

Lust and Greed went back outside to discuss something in private. I just stayed by Envy's side with Mother. Neither of us said a word. Nervously, I reached for Mother's hand. To my surprise, she took it and looked down at me with an expression unlike any I'd ever seen. In that moment, it became obvious that Mother still cared for all of us, despite her aloof manner.

Somehow, that night, I managed to fall asleep. I had stayed close to Envy to keep an eye on him, so I must have dozed off. I woke with a start and glanced out the small, grimy window to see that it was still dark outside. I had no way of knowing what time it really was, but I figured it was at least three in the morning. Groggily, I turned my head to check up on Envy.

He was awake and was looking at me with a faint smile on his lips. In the dim light, I could see his eyes staring back at me with a strange intensity. "Wrath," he whispered, "You're the strongest person in our family…Don't let the Germans get you down…I don't want you to end up like me…And…Keep that strong personality you've got. You'll survive this mess…"

I was too scared to say anything in reply. I was not strong otherwise I would've tried to attack Edward. "Please…" I finally managed, "Please don't talk like that…Don't talk like this is the end…" I could not hold my feelings back any longer. Tears flowed freely from my eyes as I moved closer to him.

Envy shook his head slightly. "It's not the end. We'll meet again, right? Just…Promise me you'll survive. I know it'll be hard, but you can do it," he said as he reached up and placed his hand on my shoulder.

My vision was blurred so much because of the tears I could hardly make him out. "I promise," I choked.

Losing my brother was the worst hardship I've ever had to endure. It surpassed anything I was put through later on in life…But I would not let him down. When we meet again, I want to show him that I lived up to his expectations.

(Author's Note: This chapter was really difficult for me to write. That's really all I've got to say.

Thanks for reading. 3)


	9. April to October, Warsaw Ghetto, 1941

Springen

Chapter Eight: April to October, Warsaw Ghetto, 1941

Lust was beside herself with grief when I told her of Envy's passing. While she was quick to accept the truth, I was still trying to convince myself that it had not happened. Numbly, I watched as she threw herself into Greed's arms and sob, as though she had no one else to turn to. She did not, of course. Mother could offer no comfort to any of us and I had no words to give. Lust was not the only one grieving; Mother and I were lost in our own emotions. Really, the only one who was being strong in this situation was Greed.

I began wishing I had someone to turn to, someone who I could tell all of my thoughts and feelings to, but there was no one left. Al was outside the ghetto with his family…and Envy was…

Envy was gone.

Mother said that she wanted to find a way to give Envy a proper funeral. I wanted to say that I would help her and be with her, but I could not bring myself to even try and speak. Looking back now, I know I was not expected to try and comfort anyone. At that time, however, I thought I _had _to do something for my remaining family members. I wanted to become a strong person who could keep us all together through all the hardships we had to endure. Before I could do that, though, I had to pull myself out of my own despair.

After all, Envy would not have wanted us all to lose hope; he would have wanted us to be strong in this situation and to do our best to defeat the Germans.

For a long time, I stayed in that mindless state. Days passed without my notice. All I really remember is the time I spent working in that glassware factory. The Germans were still preaching to us about being essential workers. They drilled the idea that if we wanted to survive, we would do what they told us to do. We would not act out like Envy did. We would not try to escape the ghetto.

There had been others like my brother, others that had died. These brave people had become martyrs in our community. I felt a small sense of pride to see Envy's name among them. While he had not done much in order to fight, he was still being recognized. People said that he was one of the most courageous men in Warsaw, probably in all of Poland.

Those kind statements from those people did have meaning, but at that time, I did not think they did. Nothing anyone said could make up for the loss my family had gone through. People would say "I'm sorry your brother had to die, but he was fighting for a good cause." I did not want their sympathy or their pity. There were times when I thought Envy would have been better off not trying to attack Edward. There were other times when I wished he would have attacked Commandant Mustang instead.

It had been Envy's nature to question authority, so when a member of the "superior race," an Aryan, tried to degrade Lust, it was Envy's instinct to attack. Hindsight tells me I should have expected him to do something like that. It does not tell me I should have expected his death.

Sometimes at night, I would lay awake, staring out the dirty window. I thought about the past; what life was like before the Germans invaded Poland. Some memories were clearer than others. I remembered the first time I met Al, the first time Envy brought Winry to our house…and sometimes I would remember my father.

Envy was with our father now. I often wondered if they were happy together. Mother used to say that Father was watching us from Heaven, so during the nights I spent awake in the ghetto, I liked to think that he and Envy were watching us together. Even if they did not give me some sort of sign, I knew they were both with me and that they still cared for Mother, Lust, and I.

The summer of my fifteenth year was a hectic one. My job at the glassware factory quickly turned into a job creating ammunition shells for the German army. Greed began working at the same factory I did. Lust and Mother began working with other women to make parachutes. None of us enjoyed what we did by any means, but we knew we had to do it.

Occasionally, someone would try to throw a revolt. None of them succeeded. The Germans were ruling Poland with an iron fist. The last we'd heard of the outside world was that Denmark had been conquered but had fought to save the Jewish people living there. When I'd been told that, I wondered why Poland did not put up more of a fight or try to help us Jews to get out of harm's way. While the Jews in Denmark had fled to Sweden, we'd all been forced to stay in cities like Warsaw and Krakow with no idea of when salvation would come.

At that time, it seemed foolish to me to think of salvation. Every day, I trudged on in a hollow misery. The only hope I could cling to was that our situation would not get any worse. Many of the other Jews said that this was it. This was the worst anything could be.

I'm sure they had to eat their own words.

One day in the glassware factory turned ammunition factory, a riot almost blossomed. A man, I believe his name was Zolf Kimbly, was refusing to do his work. He insisted that the Germans had no right to treat us like dogs. In a strained voice, he screamed and shouted, managing to get everyone's attention. I remember standing on the tips of my toes, trying to see him through the crowds of men that had circled around him.

Some how, Kimbly had found a gun. It must have belonged to one of the Germans. He was holding it threateningly above his head, waving it around like a maniac. "How much longer do we have to let this insanity continue?" he shouted, "I say we take our fate into our own hands! If the Germans think we're so essential, why don't we prove them wrong? Why don't we just-"

Before he could go on, a gunshot resounded throughout the factory. We all turned our heads to see a Nazi officer standing on one of the catwalks above us. He was a tall, foreboding man…and an Aryan; one of Hitler's "Perfect People." His hand was not even trembling as he aimed his pistol down toward Kimbly. Everything was done in a cool, calculating demeanor.

I tore my eyes away from him and glanced over at Kimbly, who was staring white faced up at the officer. For all that big talk, he did not seem so brave now. "Please, forgive me," he said. Despite his words, something was strange. He was acting scared. I don't know if he truly was afraid of the German or not.

The officer lowered his gun slightly. I frowned. He was going to show Kimbly mercy? Why should he do that when Commandant Mustang was so cruel to my brother? I did not take the time to remind myself that the Germans were people too, that they had different personalities. The anger that rose in my chest made me want to say out loud that Kimbly should be shot.

But my anger quickly dissolved into disgust with myself. How could I think such things?

"For an Aryan, you're an idiot," Kimbly snorted with a laugh. I watched dumbfounded as the German aimed his gun again. It was too late, though; Kimbly put the barrel to his temple and pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground like a lifeless doll, a mess of blood and brains.

Greed, who had been standing behind me the whole time, clapped his hand on my shoulder. "Wrath, you don't need to see this," he said softly. He tried to usher me away from the crowd, away from the bloody mess on the floor. I didn't move. Kimbly's suicide was just one of the horrors occurring every day, every hour in the ghettos. It was something we all needed to see to know that it was actually happening.

I looked up at the officer. He was shaking his head and walking away. In the back of my mind, I wondered why he had hesitated to kill Kimbly in the first place. The Nazis were supposed to be quick on their feet. This man, however, had simply watched. I wondered if he had given Kimbly what he wanted. If so, I wondered why a Nazi should ever give a Jew what he wanted.

Some of the men entered the empty circle and dragged Kimbly's lifeless body out of the factory. The rest of us were instructed to continue with our work as if nothing had happened. I stared at the heap of ammunition shells I had made in the passed few hours. These things would be in battle eventually. They would pierce men's skin. I was making things that were going to kill people.

As I stood there, running my hands over the pile, I heard footsteps coming toward me. I turned around, only to see Greed staring down at me. "Kid, don't let all this go to your head," he said. It was strange how concerned he seemed. I did not know that he of all people had been worried about me. I did not know anyone was worried about me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to go on with what I assumed was a nonchalant attitude.

Greed's eyebrows knitted out of what I could only guess was frustration. "You don't think we notice it, but we do. Lust, me, your mother, we all see how hard you took Envy's death," he replied, "And now you're seeing more people every day, dying around you." He paused for a moment, probably to let me get a word in.

I could not think of anything to say. My mouth seemed to have stopped working. Did Greed think I was the only one who was affected by all the murders? I shook my head and lowered my gaze to the floor. "What can you do to change what's going on, Greed? Do you think if you blind fold me, I won't know about the cruelty the Germans are inflicting on us? Do you think I won't remember my brother's dying words, or how cold his skin was?" I could not stop myself once I finally regained the ability to speak. The last thing I wanted to do was to alienate myself from any of the members of my family, even if Greed was not an official one.

"You're not the only one going through this," Greed said, "We're all experiencing this hell together. Don't you think it'd be a little easier if you let yourself be with us? Lust and I want things to be as normal as possible…which isn't much, but it's something. Please, Wrath, don't be consumed by this. If you let yourself do that, you'll end up like that Kimbly guy." By this time, he'd put his hands on my shoulders. He was staring imploringly into my eyes. These words were genuine; he really did want me to come out of my shell.

His words made all too much sense. I bit my lip and tried not to cry. I was almost an adult. Children were the only people who cried…but with all the sorrow that had built up inside of me, all the anger and the confusing feelings…they had all mixed together and had become unbearable. I had forgotten about my family, the one most important thing. I had let myself give in to my grief.

I said nothing. What could I say? That I didn't want to end up like Kimbly? No words were appropriate. I simply nodded and went back to work when Greed went back to his. There was no time for sentiments. Those would have to come later.

Summer gave way into autumn. By October, there was a strange feeling in the air. Something was getting ready to happen. The Germans spent more and more time patrolling the ghetto and were much stricter on who worked in the factories and who did not. Many of the older Jews had been killed for whatever reason; some were sick, some were crippled, and some were just shot for sport. One of the two women we shared our room with had been killed. According to her sister, she'd been crushed under a truck.

While Lust, Greed, and I had become closer, Mother still kept her distance, as she always had. She said little to me, but I knew she must have confessed that she was concerned for me because of what Greed had said to me during the summer. I wanted to tell her that I was all right. Then maybe she too would rejoin what was left of our family. I wanted so badly for her to know that we all loved her and so that was why I asked Lust and Greed to give us some time alone one night.

Mother seemed confused by this. She gave me a questioning gaze as I sat down next to her on the hard floor. "What's this about, Wrath?" she asked me, her voice low. I hardly wanted to make her angry, but that was a possibility I'd have to face.

Somehow, I knew I wouldn't be able to convince her as quickly as Greed had done for me. "I…I wish you'd be more of a part of our family," I blurted. That was not quite what I had wanted to say. At least it was to the point, even though it did seem a bit harsher than what I'd had in mind.

I could not bring myself to look at her. "I wanted to be a good parent to you and your siblings," she said softly, "But I couldn't bring myself to do that. Now, though, with Envy gone….I should've realized it's my responsibility." She was angry, that much was obvious…but I could not tell if she was angry with me for bringing it up or angry with herself for not taking matters into her own hands.

"I don't blame you. We were all hit hard when that happened, I think," I said, "Just…Greed said something to me a while ago that made a lot of sense. He told me that we're all going through the same thing. There's no point in trying to get through it all alone." I hoped she would listen to me. I hoped she would agree with what I was telling her…Just once I wanted her to believe that she had the family she had before all this started.

Mother's eyes were on me. I glanced over to her for a moment. Her expression was unreadable; all I could see was her despair. She must have been pretty hard on herself since Envy died. Maybe the loss of her oldest son had been too much for her to bear. "It's true. We should be working together. We should all be together in this," she whispered, "But no one is willing to share their hurt with anyone else. We won't be able to do anything against the Germans unless we band together…"

I shook my head. "I'm not talking about forming a revolt, Mama," I told her, "I just want us to stay together as a family, as long as we can." It was hard for me to find the right words to express my feelings to her. Never in my life had I confronted my Mother in such a way.

"You're right. You're absolutely right," Mother said, "I wish we could've had this conversation sooner…"

Now, I find myself wishing the same thing. October, 1941, was the last month I ever saw my Mother. That was the month everything truly went to Hell.

(Author's Note: Well. I left this stagnating for quite a while. I sincerely apologize. Now that I'm back to writing it, it won't be long until it's finished. The next chapter will be pretty intense…so…maybe you'll need some tissue. Thanks for reading and I'm sorry once again for leaving everyone hanging.)


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